Stump-burner.



B; F. PAXTON.

STUMP BURNER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I4. 1912.

1,%3,69 Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

\' mibldllll BENJAMIN IF. IPAXI'ON, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

STUMP-BURNER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 28, 191'? Application filed June 14, 1912. Serial No. 703,680.

2' '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. PAXTON,

a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Stump Burners, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved stump burner or furnace which is adapted to effectively consume stumps, burning them deep into the ground without attention by an attendant while in operation. Heretofore devices of this nature have been ineflicient and ineffective in use owing principally to the fact that the draft is not properly applied to produce the results desired and in any case the operation has not been automatic in action'and the draft constantly directed to the locality or localities where it is necessary to produce combustion in order that the stump may be fully consumed deep into the ground. My invention produces these beneficial results and provides a simple, inexpensive and effective structure which is automatic in operation and which can be easily and quickly adjusted over a stump and transported from place to place in the field with a minimum amount of hand labor.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention, a portion thereof being broken away to expose the interior construction; Fig. 2 is a plan of the blast tube, and Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a detail illustrating various positions which the blast tube assumes automatically during the operation of the device.

In the drawing A indicates a suitable furnace housing which is cylindrical in form and adapted to stand upon one end over a stump such as B which it is desired to burn. G indicates a conical top or cap which is detachably placed upon the upper end of y the housing and provided with a smoke pipe; D erected above its truncated end, said pipe: to the top. This; construction is obviously simple and permits:

being suitably attached of the housing being easily adjusted over The top also can be easily trundled from place to place and adjusted upon the upper end of the housing when desired.

refuse such as brush is placed inside acent effectively assists in stump or tipped upon its side and rolledL to the stump and after the top is adjusted to the housing, the brush is ignited to start the stump burning. The lower portion of the housing is formed with a draft opening 2 over the inner end of which a blast tube support 3 is secured such as by bolts 5 passing through the flange 6 on said support and the wall of said housing. The blast tube support forms a draft flue and is rectangular in cross section and extends horizontally a short dis.- tance into said furnace chamber. To the upper side of the support 3 a blast tube E is hinged at 7, said tube being of rectangular cross section and tapering from its hinged end toward its free end. The hinged end of the blast tube is larger across than the support 3 and. is adapted when the blast tube swings down from the full line into the broken line positions illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3 to encompass the walls of said support forming a substantially tight connec tion between said flue and blast tube. The free end of the blast tube turns inwardly and downwardly toward the lower central portion of the chamber within the furnace housing and its extremity is formed with a serrated edge 8.

When the burner is placed over a stump the blast tube is tilted with its serrated edge resting against the side of the stump and. as the stump burns the blast tube lowers gradually into horizontal position as indicated by the lower broken line position in Figs. 1 and 3. The serrated edge 8 allows air to egress freely from the tube without clogging its passage. As the blast tube lowers the draft whichat the start enters the chamber within the housing horizontally through the flue is gradually diverted through the blast tube until the latter reaches horizontal position when all of the draft is conducted by the blast tube and directed downwardly into the roots of the stump where it efliciently and. the burning of the stump.

The inner end of the blast tube support is curved downwardly and outwardly from the center of the furnace chamber at 9 so that the hinged end of the blast tube is free to It g swing and divert the draft as described. j

about a field from one location to anotherm: When the blast tube is in the median positions such as indicated by part of the broken lines in Fig. 3 the draft which at the start a enters through said support horizontally be- Before the top is placed upon the housing, comes divided, part of it continuing horizontally through the support into the chanrher and part of it through the blast tube, the

amount passing through the blast tube increasing as the blast tube descends into horizontal position until it is all diverted from the support and enters downwardly through the tube against the roots of the stump.

For the purpose of lifting the blast tube into superior position a chain 10 may be provided which is illustrated secured to the side of the tube and extending through an opening 11 in the wall of the housing. By drawing this chain out the blast tube is tilted up against the inner wall of the housing and held in superior position. The tube may be lowered against the side of the stump by the chain. The blast tube support is provided with a damper 12 for regulating the amount of draft entering the burner and also with aspark arrester 13 in the form of a mat of reticulated material across the passage in the support for preventing sparks flying out through the draft passage.

The construction described is adapted to perform the function of automatically directing the desired amount of draft upon the stump at the most effective points to produce the most effective results and with a little or no attention after the device has been started in operation.

In operation light fuel is placed opposite the draft flue formed by the blast tube support, between the stump and front of the furnace and the blast tube is released and drops backward until it rests against the stump. The top is then placed on the furnace and fire started at or near said fine. The stump and roots are then burned by automatically controlled. and changed drafts,

, in the following manner:

Combustion of the stump begins by a direct draft, delivered by the flue formed by the blast tube support, and directed against the base and front of the stump. The blast tube drops backward and downward as the stump burns away. hen the tube descends in front of said flue a portion of the draft from the flue is diverted to the tube and is .directed backward and downward against the back and center of the stump. Two separate drafts are now directed against the stump; one forward and upward to the base and front and one backward and downward to the back and center. The continual descent of the tube results in a gradual decrease of the draft (from the flue) against the base and front and a corresponding increase of the draft (from the tube) against the back and center. When the stump has burned level to the ground and the tube is in; horizontal position, the total draft of the furnace passes through the tube and is directed downward on the center of the have it understood that the construction.

shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those above set forth within the scope of the following claims.

Havmg described my invention, whatI claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is 1. A stump burner, comprising, two cooperating elements, one a furnace housing open at the bottom and adapted to be placed around a stump and formed with a draft flue near its lower portion, and the other a draft tube having its body pivotally supported adjacent the flue passage with its free end adapted to swing downward against the stump as the latter is being consumed and its hinged end adapted to gradually and automatically divert draft from said flue through said tube downward against said stump.

2. A stump burner comprising a furnace housing open at the bottom and adapted to inclose a stump, a draft tube hinged at one end within and to said housing whereby the free end of said tube may swing backward automatically to direct draft downwardly against the stump being consumed.

3. A stump burner, comprising, two cooperating elements, one a furnace housing open at the bottom and adapted to be placed around a stump and formed with an inwardly projectingdraft flue adapted to direct draft against the base and side of a i stump, and the other a draft tube having one end hinged to swing into connection with said flue and its other end. free to swing backward and turned downwardly todirect draft down toward the back" and into the base of the stump as the latter is being consumed, said tube being adapted to swing from substantially upright into substantially horizontal positions and diverting part of the draft from said flue when in median position.

4. A stump burner, comprising, two 00- operatingelements, one a furnace housing open. at thebottom and adapted to be placed around a stump, and the other a draft tube forming a draft passage within said housing and hinged to permit one end swinging backward freely to direct draft clownward against the. stump as it is being consumed, the free end of said tube having its edge serrated to prevent said edge when resting against the surface of the stump clogging the passage through said tube.

5. A stump burner, comprising, two cooperating elements, one a furnace housing adapted to be placed over a stump and the other a drop tube extending upward and inward from the lower portion of said housing and adapted to move downward as the stump is being consumed and direct draft into the underground portion of the stump.

6. A stump burner, comprising a furnace housing adapted to be placed over a stump and formed with an opening in the side of said housing to admit a single side draft, and a draft device associated with said housing, adapted first, to change said side draft to a double draft, and second, to change said double draft to a single draft directed downward, as the stump burns away.

7. A stump burner, comprising, a casing adapted to inclose a stump, and draft means hinged to said casing for changing the direction of the draft, said means having an end resting upon the stump and descending as the stump burns away.

8. A stump burner, comprising, in combination, a casing to inclose a stump having a side wall formed with a draft opening, and a draft tube having one end over said opening and hinged to said wall whereby its free end is adapted to rest against the stump, describe an are about a point on said wall and direct a draft continuously upon the stump as the stump burns away.

9. A stump burner having a casing for inclosing the stump, a draft tube hlnged to the casing and adapted to change the direction of the draft as the stump burns away, and means for supplying air to the tube.

10. A stump burner comprising a casing provided with an opening in its side, and a draft conduit movably secured at one end relative to said casing in proximity to said opening, the other end of said conduit resting against the stump and descending therewith as the stump burns away.

11. A stump burner comprising a furnace housing open at the bottom and adapted to be placed over a stump, and draft means associated with said casing resting upon the stump and adapted to descend as the stump burns away and to change the draft from a side draft to a down draft.

2. A stump burner, comprising a casing adapted to inclose a stump, and draft means resting upon the stump adapted to descend as the stump burns away and to change the direction of the draft during its descent.

13. A stump burner comprising a casing adapted to inclose a stump, and means associated with said casing for delivering a gradually changing and increasing draft during theburning of the stump.

14:. A stump burner comprising a casing adapted to inclose a stump, said casing having an opening therein for delivering a draft about the base of the stump, and means for diverting a portion of said draft upwardly and against the sides of the stump.

15. A stump burner comprising a casing adapted to inclose a stump, said casing having an opening therein for delivering a horizontal draft about the base of the stump, and a tube hingedly supported within said casing in proximity to said opening for diverting a portion of said draft upwardly and against the side of said stump, said tube gradually and automatically alining itself with said opening whereby said horizontal draft is converted into a down draft.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BENJAMIN F. PAXTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, I). G. 

